Gymnasium apparatus.



M. B. REACH.

GYMNASIUM APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.27, 1909.

9 82,4 1 3 Patented Aug. 24. 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ANDREW, a. swim w PHDTO-LIYNOGRAFNERS wAsmuswN. n. c.

M. B. REACH.

GYMNASIUM APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.27,1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ANDREW. a. GRAHAM 00.. Pmfo-umosnmuzns. WASHINGTON, my C,

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

M. B. REACH. GYMNASIUM APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APB.27,1909.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

M 06. 7M g UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

MILTON B. REACH, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO A. SPALDING& BROS.

MANUFACTURING (30., OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

GYMNASIUIv/I APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIL'roN B. REACH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, lvIassachuset-ts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Gymnasium Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to gymnasium apparatus, and particularly to meansfor mounting and suspending horizontal bars, andit consists in thefeatures and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter describedand particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an end view of a horizontal barwith its supporting and suspending means; Fig. 2 is a front view of aplurality of horizontal bars with their supporting and suspending means;Fig. 8 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In these drawings, the horizontal bars are indicated at 1 carried byuprights 2 to which they are attached in any suitable manner, as at 3.Means are provided for locklng the uprights to the floor, and as arepresentativeform of any locking device which may be employed for thepurpose, I show levers to engage hooks or catches 5 attached to thefloor, the lower ends of the uprights having extensions (3 to entersockets 7 in the floor. The uprights extend above the horizontal bars,and are slidably connected with pendants 7 pivotally supported at 8 tothe roof or other upper structure by means of brackets 9. The slidingconnection between the uprights and the pendants may be of any suitableform, but I show as a representative form collars 10 and 11 attachedrespectively to the upright and pendant, the collar 10 which is fixed tothe upright embracing the pendant, while the collar 11 fixed to thependant loosely engages the upright.

The invention is particularly devised for elevating the horizontal barsout of the way when the floor space is to be cleared, and for storingthem against the upper structure, or at a suitable elevation above thefloor, and the invention is particularly adapted for gymnasiums havinglow ceilings or a superstructure which is low in height. In order toelevate the horizontal bars with their uprights, the said uprights areslid upwardly along the pendants, and for this purpose I provideelevating ropes 12 con- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 27, 1909.

Patented Aug. 24., 1909.

Serial No. 492,613.

nected to the uprights at 13 and extending upwardly and over pulleys 14,and thence horizontally around pulleys 15 and 18 whence the ropes aredirected to a weight 16 in a boxing l7 suitably supported on the wall ofthe gymnasium. The elevating rope of that upright which is in directline with the weight runs over one of the pulleys M and thencedirectlyto the weight box and over one of the pulleys 18 which directthe ropes to an attaching or connecting device at 19 by which they areoined to the chain 20 connected with the weight 16. In order to elevatethe uprights, the horizontal bars are first loosened and slid downwardlyon the said uprights, and then, by releasing the holding levers at fromthe catches 5, the weight 16 will exert its force to lift all of theuprights, together with their horizontal bars, to a position indicatedin dotted lines at A, Fig. 1. In gymnasiums having a low ceiling orroof, or superstructure, the elevation of the uprights and thehorizontal bars is not sufiicient to provide the necessary floor spaceand head room, and I have therefore pivotally mounted the pendants asabove described so that these, together with the ele-.

vated uprights and horizontal bars, may be swung into a substantiallyhorizontal position, as indicated in dotted lines at B, so that thewhole apparatus will lie close against the ceiling or superstructure,provide the necessary space at the floor, and the necessary head roomfor the use of other apparatus or for such use as may be desired.

In order to swing the pendants into the horizontal position indicated atB, I provide a plurality of hoisting ropes 21 which are attached to eyes22 at the lower ends of the pendants or on the collars 11 thereof, thesaid ropes passing over suitable pulleys at the ceiling, as indicated at23, and extending thence to a winch 24: suitably mounted on the sidewall of the gymnasiimi. By turning this winch by means of the handle 25after the uprights and the horizontal bars have been elevated by theweight 16, the pendants will be swung from the position shown in dottedlines at A to the dotted line position B, and they will carry with themthe horizontal bars and the uprights, the latter of which are nowtelescoped therewith. It will be seen, from Fig. 3, that a plurality ofropes extend from a plurality of pendants and pass around horizontalpulleys 26 in addition to the pulleys 23, whereby they are directed tothe winding drum or winch. The horizontal bars may be mounted in series,as shown in Fig. 2, and the hoisting ropes may connect with the enduprights and the center upright of this series. In order to support theuprights of the horizontal bars when they are lowered into position foruse and are attached to the floor, I provide guy wires or ropes 27 whichextend from cars 28 at the top of the uprights to hooks 29 attached tothe ceiling.

I do not limit myself to the details of construction above described, asthese may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention,nor do I limit myself to the use of the invention in connection with theparticular form of exercising apparatus described.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination with an exercising apparatus,a pendant pivotally supported at its upper end and extending above theexercising apparatus, said exercising apparatus having a slidingconnection with the pendant to be elevated in respect thereto, and meansfor swinging the pendant into position to hold the exercising apparatuscarried thereby out of the way and to clear the floor space,substantially as described.

2. In combination with an exercising apratus, an exercising device,hoisting means for the same, and swinging and holding means for swingingthe exercising device from a vertical to a horizontal position whenelevated and storing the said exercising device in substantiallyhorizontal position substantially as described.

4. In combination the horizontal bars, means for attaching the uprightsthereof to the floor, guys connected to the upper part of the uprights,hoisting means connected with the uprights, and swinging means to movethe uprights from a vertical position to a substantially horizontalposition, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MILTON B. REACH.

Witnesses MAY JAMESON, C. H. KILPATRIOK.

